Machairodus fossil map
Where fossils of Machairodus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 5 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 5 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Early mammals |
|---|---|
| Lived | 23.04–0.129 million years ago (Aquitanian to Chibanian) |
| Periods | Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Felidae |
| Named by | Kaup 1833 |
| Fossil records | 202 occurrences at 90 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United States, Spain, Moldova, Greece, China, Türkiye, South Africa, Bulgaria, Tanzania, Kazakhstan … |
| Rock formations | txn:41045, Wembere-Manonga, Varswater, Sahabi, Ash Hollow, Panaca |
About Machairodus
Machairodus (from Ancient Greek μάχαιρα (mákhaira), a type of ancient sword, and ὀδούς (odoús), meaning "tooth") is a genus of large machairodont or ''saber-toothed cat'' that lived in Africa and Eurasia during the Middle to Late Miocene, from 12.5 million to 8.7 million years ago. It is the animal from which the subfamily Machairodontinae gets its name. The genus currently consists of four named species: M. alberidae, M. aphanistus, M. laskerevi, and M. robinsoni. The genus is currently usually placed as one of the most basal members of the tribe Homotherini, and the ancestor of later members of the tribe, such as Amphimachairodus.
The type species of the genus, M. aphanistus, was comparable to tigers in size, weighing 117–285 kg (258–628 pounds), making it an apex predator of the ecosystems it inhabited. Much like some of its relatives such as Homotherium and Amphimachairodus, it may have been gregarious; males may have formed coalitions of two or more individuals, while females may have been solitary. It is thought to have hunted relatively large prey, such as the three-toed horse Hipparion.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Machairodus (revision 1362510147), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q1274400.
